inspiring the food on your table & celebrating the people who surround it

Dumplings are served and eaten as a mainstay all over China. Eaten at any meal, any time of day, as a starter or as the main event, dumplings in China come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Whether for a fancy holiday celebration dinner, or a casual roadside breakfast, dumplings always fit the occasion. Many families have specific, fancy ways to fold and seal their dumplings, but don’t let that intimidate you. Start with a simple and easy seal in the recipe below, and work your way up from there. Dumplings can be prepared as steamed, pan-fried, or boiled, but the recipe below marries steamed and pan-fried with delicious results. By using a mix of oil and water, rather than frying the dumplings in straight oil, the resulting dumpling comes out crispy on the bottom and tender throughout. You get the best of both, without all the unnecessary fat and oil. The shrimp filling here offers high quality protein that’s very low in fat, and the garlic, scallions, and ginger in both the filling and the dipping sauce give a boost to your immune system. Feel free to alter the filling and sauce to suit your preferences, both recipes are flexible and forgiving.